Under these regulations, a health plan is allowed to charge for a brand-name contraceptive should an equivalent, generic drug be available, free of charge. What's not clear in the guidelines is that a plan can "charge for most generics as long as it offers some for free," Adam Sonfield, a senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute, toldKHN.

Some insurers are now moving generic birth control pills from the zero co-payment tier into a higher tier, forcing a monthly payment, as was the case with a reader who wrote intoKHN.

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) is taking steps to do just that. She introduced a bill this week that would give women in the armed forces access to birth control with no co-pay,reportedThe Hill. Female service members often have difficulty accessing contraceptives and family planning services when deployed overseas, Speier said.

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